Thoughts on Episode 2x17: Lockdown – The Back-Story
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first; the answer we were all hoping for didn’t come. We’ll have to wait until another episode to find out what caused Locke’s paralysis. I’m guessing we’ll find out in the season finale.
This episode’s flashback showed how Locke turned from the happy man that he was after meeting Helen into the depressed and pitiable man who spent his evenings pursuing a make-believe relationship with a phone sex worker. (The $200,000.00 his father gave him might explain how he was able to afford that expensive hobby.) By participating in his father’s plans and lying about it to Helen, Locke unintentionally proved to her that his deeper loyalty lay with his father.
Locke’s emotional state after losing Helen related to his brief friendship with the man claiming to be Henry Gale. “Henry” gained Locke’s trust (and brought him to tears) not by badmouthing Jack, but simply by not deserting him. Locke’s back-story showed that both his girlfriend and his father abandoned him in a seedy motel parking lot within moments of each other and his outlandish pursuit of an imaginary replacement for Helen demonstrates that he never fully recovered from the loss. His interaction with “Henry” in this episode showed that he is still very insecure and that his tough image is merely a facade.
The flashback also confirmed that Locke’s father was a professional conman named “Anthony Cooper” and not, as many expected, “Sawyer.” The circumstances of the story negate the theory that Locke’s father was the conman who destroyed Sawyer’s family. The greatest evidence supporting this theory, outside of the fact that Mr. Cooper is an old conman, was Locke expressing interest in where Sawyer got his nickname when they were tracking Michael in episode 2x11. However, the back-story showed that even after discovering his father’s profession, Locke had such limited contact with him that he never would have known his father’s alias. If the name “Sawyer” does hold some significance to Locke, it is for a different reason.
The reason I bring up the theory that Locke’s father is Sawyer’s conman is that spoiler sites have been declaring for weeks that this episode would reveal a radical connection between Locke and Sawyer. While a few spoilers in the past have been correct, this one is just another example of the many spoilers that have fizzled out. There is a lot of dubious information on the web and this episode was a reminder to regard spoilers with caution.
Instead of a Sawyer connection, the flashback showed a weak connection with Sayid: Locke inspected a house for Sayid’s love-interest, Nadia. It proves that Nadia safely arrived in America but, like the flashback in which Sawyer struggled with police officers while Boone filed a domestic abuse report in episode 1x13, this connection seemed more of a mildly interesting coincidence than a relevant plot point. While there may be a deeper relevancy that has yet to be revealed, many of the back-story connections appear to say nothing other than “It’s a small world after all.”
In this flashback, Locke, who was apparently a bit of a job-hopper, is a home inspector. This sets up an interesting irony with the island story. Locke never inspected the hatch, which he has taken more-or-less for his home. Michael discovered the blast doors and Sayid found the unusually thick concrete foundation. Locke never even noticed the black light bulbs until they all turned on. It’s interesting that a man who made a career out of looking at tiny details in a home should miss those things.
I’ll have my thoughts on the island events posted in the next day or two. Sorry I can’t get to them tonight but it’s my birthday and I have to party.
This episode’s flashback showed how Locke turned from the happy man that he was after meeting Helen into the depressed and pitiable man who spent his evenings pursuing a make-believe relationship with a phone sex worker. (The $200,000.00 his father gave him might explain how he was able to afford that expensive hobby.) By participating in his father’s plans and lying about it to Helen, Locke unintentionally proved to her that his deeper loyalty lay with his father.
Locke’s emotional state after losing Helen related to his brief friendship with the man claiming to be Henry Gale. “Henry” gained Locke’s trust (and brought him to tears) not by badmouthing Jack, but simply by not deserting him. Locke’s back-story showed that both his girlfriend and his father abandoned him in a seedy motel parking lot within moments of each other and his outlandish pursuit of an imaginary replacement for Helen demonstrates that he never fully recovered from the loss. His interaction with “Henry” in this episode showed that he is still very insecure and that his tough image is merely a facade.
The flashback also confirmed that Locke’s father was a professional conman named “Anthony Cooper” and not, as many expected, “Sawyer.” The circumstances of the story negate the theory that Locke’s father was the conman who destroyed Sawyer’s family. The greatest evidence supporting this theory, outside of the fact that Mr. Cooper is an old conman, was Locke expressing interest in where Sawyer got his nickname when they were tracking Michael in episode 2x11. However, the back-story showed that even after discovering his father’s profession, Locke had such limited contact with him that he never would have known his father’s alias. If the name “Sawyer” does hold some significance to Locke, it is for a different reason.
The reason I bring up the theory that Locke’s father is Sawyer’s conman is that spoiler sites have been declaring for weeks that this episode would reveal a radical connection between Locke and Sawyer. While a few spoilers in the past have been correct, this one is just another example of the many spoilers that have fizzled out. There is a lot of dubious information on the web and this episode was a reminder to regard spoilers with caution.
Instead of a Sawyer connection, the flashback showed a weak connection with Sayid: Locke inspected a house for Sayid’s love-interest, Nadia. It proves that Nadia safely arrived in America but, like the flashback in which Sawyer struggled with police officers while Boone filed a domestic abuse report in episode 1x13, this connection seemed more of a mildly interesting coincidence than a relevant plot point. While there may be a deeper relevancy that has yet to be revealed, many of the back-story connections appear to say nothing other than “It’s a small world after all.”
In this flashback, Locke, who was apparently a bit of a job-hopper, is a home inspector. This sets up an interesting irony with the island story. Locke never inspected the hatch, which he has taken more-or-less for his home. Michael discovered the blast doors and Sayid found the unusually thick concrete foundation. Locke never even noticed the black light bulbs until they all turned on. It’s interesting that a man who made a career out of looking at tiny details in a home should miss those things.
I’ll have my thoughts on the island events posted in the next day or two. Sorry I can’t get to them tonight but it’s my birthday and I have to party.
posted by Chris at 5:54 PM
1 Comments:
happy birthday!
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